Showing up.
Members and friends of John Knox, there’s not a week that goes by
when you don’t amaze me with the ways you show up for
service.
You show up to prepare, serve and clean up meals for interreligious
events, Bible studies, grieving families, hungry people in our
surrounding communities, and Friday Fish Fries.
You show up for the important and meaningful work of committees,
task groups, Deacons, Session, and Stephen’s Ministry.
You show up to engage in relationship and Bible study in Children’s
Ministry, VBS, Youth Group, Life Groups, Faith at Work groups,
Tuesday breakfast, Wednesday class, healing prayer, yoga, Book
Club, and various classes throughout the year.
You show up to sing, ring, play flute, dance, strum, mix sound,
pass plates, count plates, greet worshipers, pass out bulletins,
pray and read liturgy in weekly worship.
You show up to answer phones, fold, staple, make copies and quilts
and chemo caps, and stock the pantry.
You show up at Habitat for Humanity sites, hospitals, shelters,
homes of refugee families, neighbors in need, villages hit hard by
poverty or disaster in North Dakota, Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico and Cameroon.
My heart is full, watching all the good that goes on in and through
our church by the power of the Holy Spirit and willing hearts.
Thank you for celebrating my 25th year of ordination, February 23,
and inspiring me daily with your faithful and heartfelt service to
our Lord. You are a strong and beautiful church. Don’t forget
it!
Tom
“Youth Sunday”
that Binds
MARCH 8
Rev. Susanne Bendoraitis
Whale”
MARCH 4 Rise Against Hunger
Simple Supper— 5:30-6:15 PM
MARCH 5 John Knox Book Club — 12 PM (Library)
MARCH 6, 13, 20 & 27 Fish Fry—5 PM (Trinity)
MARCH 9 Session—7 PM (Lounge)
MARCH 11, 18, 25, & APRIL 1 Faith, Science and Beyond —
Lynn
Bondurant; The Bible for Dummies—
Jan Hart; Life in an Anxious World—
Rev Susanne Bendoraitis—6:15-7:30
-7:30 PM
Thomas-11 AM - (Lounge)
MARCH 17 Vote!
WHAT’S UP AT JKPC?
3
A Healing Prayer Testimony
Offered by Bruce Knowlton
In healing prayer, we often focus our petitions to God asking Him
to bring healing from bodily ailments and dis- eases that afflict
us and those that we love. But, sometimes, the most painful and
debilitating suffering comes in the form of wounded and broken
interpersonal relationships, often the result of divorce,
addictions, and estrange- ment from those we have cared about,
those who have shaped our lives, and our identities. These types of
condi- tions are some of the most difficult to heal from, for there
is no medicine you can take, or medical procedure that a doctor can
perform – suffering and pain can feel ever-present, with
experiences and memories often bringing back painful reminders of
better times in the past.
Let me share with you an experience from my own family about
healing broken relationships. My late mother grew up in a family of
12 children in a small town in southern Ohio. In the late 1970’s,
one of the great aunts passed away, leaving the entirety of her
modest estate to one of her nieces (my aunt) who had faithfully
cared for her in her final years. This incensed 2 of the brothers,
my uncles, who felt they had a claim to the proceeds from the
estate. A bitter, and permanent rift in the family ensued, that
persisted even to the deaths of my aunt and her brothers, the
parties to this unfortunate situation. When this first happened,
family get-togethers ceased and communication among the family
stopped, even the cousins on these sides of the family no longer
associated with each other. While my mother and our family were not
first-party to this rift, it was painful knowing there was a black
cloud of resentment and scorn in what up until then was a loving
and caring family.
Fast-forward to a few years ago, when one day out of the blue I
received a letter from a young woman in West Virginia, the daughter
of one of my cousins on the estranged side of the family. Her name
is Leah and she want- ed to connect with her extended family, for
she had been told she had no relatives in Ohio. I would soon learn
Leah is a woman of strong Christian faith, who sought to build
bridges, and bring healing to her broken extended family. Through
her prayers of healing and reconciliation, God delivered.
While it would have been easy to go on with her life as it was,
Leah sought to build bridges, to bring about healing in a small
corner of a fractured family, and as a woman of deep faith, she let
the Spirit, through her prayers, lead her in this way. I learned a
lot from Leah, and know that God’s hand was at work in this
experience.
We are called to love one another, to forgive those who hurt us, or
who hurt the ones we love. I can tell you, this can be among the
hardest things to do. But with God, through healing prayer, all
things are possible
Hear the words of the Apostles Paul and Peter
1 Peter 4:8: “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for
each other, for love covers a multitude of
sins." Ephesians 5:21: “Submit to one another out of reverence for
Christ." Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to each oth-
er, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through
Christ has forgiven you."
JKPC NEW MEMBERS We would like to welcome our new members to John
Knox Presbyterian Church:
Rose Akpo, Michelle Clark, Rudina Goduni, Roger Schulte James &
Lynne Slater
SERVICE & OUTREACH
GUATEMALA MEDICAL MISSION TRIP
April 16 - 27, we ask your prayers for our 26 member team as we
plan to serve 5 days of clinics in 5 different mountain
communities. Typically we see about 800 clients with glasses, teeth
pulling and various children/ adult health problems. The
organization who sponsors us is FUNDENOR an NGO in Guatemala we
have worked with for 20 years. They say we bless them greatly but
it is US who are blessed and we thank our Lord in our devotions
every day for sending us. We will be asking for some children
supplies, and if you wish to share any funds, they will be used for
medi- cines and children supplies. Thank you for your pray- ers and
for the funds from our Mission Committee for supplies and
translators.
CELEBRATING 31 YEARS OF MINISTRY AT JOHN KNOX—Training of our 14th
Class of
Stephen Ministers this September!!! We thank you John Knox for
supporting Stephen Ministry for the past 31
years. In 1989 and 1990, Gordon Blasius, Don Stenzel, Tom O’Brien
and Gerry Hetzel attended Leader Training
Courses for the Stephen Series. In 1990, the first class of Stephen
Ministers was trained. We are eternally grateful
to these saints for committing their time and talents to become
Stephen Ministers, so that they might know the
personal joy that comes from sharing Christ’s love with our
congregation. We also extend a special THANK YOU
and APPRECIATION to Rev. Dr. Tom MacMillan and Rev. Susanne
Bendoraitis for their continued faithful sup-
port of Stephen Ministry in our church.
Stephen Ministry is based on the idea that all Christians are
ministers. The responsibility for passing on God’s love
is for all Christians, not just a chosen few. God has given each
person gifts for ministry and has called each of us
to put these gifts to use. Stephen Ministry is a place where people
with special gifts for caring ministry can use
those gifts to bring Christ’s love to people in need.
Stephen Ministers at John Knox are members who have gone through 50
hours of training so as to provide high
quality Christian care to individuals experiencing a crisis or
challenge such as divorce, grief, loss of a job, hospitali-
zation, relocation, or loneliness. Lay people witness the unfolding
of beautiful relationships between fellow mem-
bers and see it as one of the best things to have happened in a
congregation. The loving care freely given by Ste-
phen Ministers can touch the heart of a congregation and open more
and more people to the possibilities of
growth and service. Stephen Ministry affords people an opportunity
to learn the real and personal meaning of mis-
sion—to be called and sent by God to serve the needs of others in
Christ’s name.
We will be having a new Training Class starting in September. The
four-hour training sessions will be on ten Sat-
urday mornings—ending in the middle of November. Application forms
will be in the office or on the Stephen
Ministry bulletin board. Please contact Rev. Dr. Tom MacMillan,
Rev. Susanne Bendoraitis, Marily Rep, our Ste-
phen Ministry Coordinator or any of our Stephen Ministers for more
information.
MARCH FOOD PANTRY REQUEST
For the month of March, we will be gathering: Canned
Vegetables
Colorful, nutrient-dense and fiber-rich vegetables are always in
high demand, and canned varieties last the
longest on a food bank’s shelves. Fruit (Canned or Dried)
Fruit, whether dried, canned or in plastic cups, makes excellent
snacks for kids and adults and provide some
nutrition and fiber. Choose those that are packed in water or fruit
juice rather than sugary syrups.
Applesauce Plastic jars of unsweetened applesauce provide a
quick
snack, fiber and vitamin C. Applesauce also keeps well on food bank
shelves.
Bring Your Donations To: Love Buggy or JKPC office. For questions,
contact Sally Schwarz at
[email protected] Non-perishable donations must be in their
original
packaging, labeled, unopened and cannot be compromised in any
way.
Proverbs 22:9
for they share their bread with the poor.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
5
VIOLIST PETER SLOWIK APRIL 3, 7 pm SANCTUARY Violist Peter Slowik
will perform an all-Bach program. Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas and
his Six Suites for Solo Cello represent the pinnacle compositions
for each instrument. This special concert, which includes all six
cello preludes and the famous Chaconne, celebrates the
three-hundredth birthday for these well-loved treasures. Save the
date!
JKPC BOOK CLUB MARCH 5 12 PM The Book Club will be meeting March 5,
at noon in the Library. March’s book will be A Farewell to Arms by
Ernest Hemingway. We hope to see you there!
JOIN THE EASTER CHOIR
Join the Easter Choir! All are invited to sing with the Chancel
Choir on Easter Sunday, April 12, at the 9 am service. We will be
singing Bach’s “Christ the Lord is Risen” and Handel’s “Hallelujah
Chorus.” There will be one rehearsal on Wednesday, April 8, at 7:30
pm in the Sanctuary, and a brief, 15-minute rehearsal on Easter
morning at 8:15 am. Copies of the anthems are available upon
request. Please speak with Geoff Peterson if you are interested or
email at
[email protected].
JKPC FISH FRY Attention Fellow Fish Fry Friends! We have four
Fridays left through March 27th from 5-7:30PM. We are again
offering very yummy dinners (baked and battered cod, breaded shrimp
and shrimp scampi, breaded chicken, homemade macaroni and great
side dishes) at a bargain price with homemade desserts and Webbers
Ice Cream. Tell your friends to put it on their calendars and get
ready to join a record-breaking team that will help pay down our
church's mortgage with the proceeds of the Fish Fry. It is a lot of
fun to help out and meet people from the community. To sign up or
ask questions, see the Volunteer Board next to the Information Desk
outside Trinity Hall, or contact Valerie Lyons at
[email protected] or text/call 216-236-3898.
PURCHASE EASTER FLOWERS!
Orders for Easter Flowers will be taken during the first five weeks
of Lent. Choice of plants include Easter Lily, Tulip, Daffodil,
Hyacinth and Geranium. These potted plants will be used to decorate
the sanctuary on Easter Sunday, and are available for you to take
home after the service. If you choose, you may Donate an Easter
Lily for the John Knox Deacons to deliver to Homebound Church
members. Sign up using order forms located in the sanctuary pews.
For more information, contact Tom Haag at (440)250-0854. Order
yours before April 6!
MEMORIAL FLOWERS
There will be a change to the date of the monthly fresh flowers in
the sanctuary. You will now see them on the third Sunday of the
month. We do this to commemorate special people in the lives of
members and friends of John Knox. The Chan- cel Guild invites
anyone who wishes to contribute towards flowers to sign up on the
Memorial Flow- er sheet on the bulletin board in the hall leading
to the sanctuary. The cost of flowers is $10. Con- tact person is
Dianne Magnani, 440-617-5882
RISE AGAINST HUNGER MARCH 4
The Mission Committee will once again sponsor this event thanks to
special gifts to our Special Mission Fund. We will be preparing
10,000 meals for places in the world where there is great need. The
meals from last October went to Democratic Republic of the Congo
with meals from other churches. There will be a simple supper
(soup/sandwich) at 5:30 - 6:15 pm and then begin packing the meals
at about 6:30 pm. It is a great fun event for families and last
year there were volunteers from 4 other local churches. Please plan
to come and bring your friends. See you on March 4!
Rise Against Hunger / Sunday Class / Kids Club / Wednesday
Classes
KIDS CLUB MARCH 11, 18, 25 & APRIL 1 Wednesdays, 6-7:30 pm Kids
Club is a Fun Bible program that meets for children in Preschool
through 5th grade. Each Kids Club night includes games, a hearty
snack, a lesson in a multi-aged, small group setting with teachers
dedicated to helping them build solid Christian friendships and
strengthen their relationship with Jesus. We also incorporate
community service projects, games and fun activities. You can still
sign up. Need more information? Contact Justine at
[email protected] or sign up on our website.
SUNDAY CLASS: PARABLES PART 2 MARCH 15, 22 & 29 Join us for a
Sunday school Class with Rev. Oommen Thomas at 11 am in the Lounge
on March 12, 22 & 29. This is a continuation from the class in
the fall, but all are welcome to join and learn more about the
Parables this Lenten season!
WEDNESDAY CLASSES MARCH 11, 18, 25 & APRIL 1 This year for
Lent, dive deeper into your faith and spiritual practices. Three
opportunities will be held on Wednesday evenings: Spiritual Moves
Yoga: 6-7 pm “Faith, Science and Beyond” with Lynn Bondurant: 6:15
-7:30 pm “The Bible for Dummies” with Jan Hart and Jim Traxler:
6:15-7:30 pm “Living in an Anxious World” with Rev. Susanne
Bendoraitis: 6:15-7:30 pm
THANK YOU!
9TH ANNUAL TONY FLAUTO FUNDRAISER
Saturday, March 21, 5-10pm Wagner’s of Westlake, 30855 Center Ridge
Rd. Save the date and join in celebrating the life of Tony Flauto,
10 years later. All proceeds go directly to supporting the school
and children of the TFCA in Nicaragua. Ticket purchase info
TBA.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BLUEGRASS CONCERT!
INTER-FAITH VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY
FEBRUARY 8
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